PJSprog
Elite Member
Apologies in advance for the long-winded first post.
The wife and I recently inherited part of her recently deceased Grandmother's farm. We got the house, barn, small lake, and 5 acres. Half of that is a mix of pasture and field behind the barn, which we plan to convert to all pasture once the corn is out. There was a JD 3720 that is a few years old, but it went to her uncle (that thing has been nothing but trouble from day one anyway). So, we find ourselves in need of a compact utility tractor. I've been shopping around for the last couple of months, doing on-line research and visiting dealers. We considered Kubota, New Holland, Massey-Ferguson, Mahindra, and LS ... basically, anything not green and with local dealers. I started looking at the used market, but she wasn't interested in older tractors and the potential troubles that come with them, and wanted something new. We also had a budget in mind, as we're remodeling the house as well. Everything kept pointing back to LS. We wanted a climate-controlled cab, as summers tend to sizzle here, and winters get fairly cold with sometimes generous snowfalls. We also have a problem with ground hornets in the pasture. So, cab it is.
After reading tons of stuff, much on this forum, I finally decided to check out the LS XR3037HC. There is a dealer a couple towns over from us, so I checked with him. He didn't have one in stock. I really wanted to check out the cab. I found that there is also an assembly/distribution center outside a small town about an hour's drive south and east. I called them and inquired about the 3037, and was told that it had been discontinued, to be replaced with the XR3135HC. They'd had four of the 37s, but the last one just shipped out a few days earlier. So, I took a drive out there this past Saturday morning to see the 3135. I was not disappointed. That place had more tractors than I've ever seen in one place. There must have been hundreds of them, some assembled, some still needing wheels, and some still in crates stacked two-high and several deep. It was a sea of blue paint. The gentleman I'd talked to on the phone was the son of the gentleman who greeted me. We discussed my needs, and he showed me a nearby 3135. I walked around it, sat in it, and took it for a spin around their lot. Again, I was not disappointed. Talk about sharp, easy turns! Drove like butter.
He threw an initial price at me, I took some pics, and headed back home. I showed the literature and pictures to my wife. She liked it, and gave me the go-ahead to start negotiating (she's the house accountant, after all). I'm planning to see what they can do with the tractor, loader, rear blade, and a 5' cutter package deal. Then, see what the local dealer can do for the same. I'd honestly like to go through the local guy, as he would be much more convenient (20 minute drive vs an hour) for any service or warranty work. He also seems very friendly (as did the distributor guys). We'll see how it goes.
The wife and I recently inherited part of her recently deceased Grandmother's farm. We got the house, barn, small lake, and 5 acres. Half of that is a mix of pasture and field behind the barn, which we plan to convert to all pasture once the corn is out. There was a JD 3720 that is a few years old, but it went to her uncle (that thing has been nothing but trouble from day one anyway). So, we find ourselves in need of a compact utility tractor. I've been shopping around for the last couple of months, doing on-line research and visiting dealers. We considered Kubota, New Holland, Massey-Ferguson, Mahindra, and LS ... basically, anything not green and with local dealers. I started looking at the used market, but she wasn't interested in older tractors and the potential troubles that come with them, and wanted something new. We also had a budget in mind, as we're remodeling the house as well. Everything kept pointing back to LS. We wanted a climate-controlled cab, as summers tend to sizzle here, and winters get fairly cold with sometimes generous snowfalls. We also have a problem with ground hornets in the pasture. So, cab it is.
After reading tons of stuff, much on this forum, I finally decided to check out the LS XR3037HC. There is a dealer a couple towns over from us, so I checked with him. He didn't have one in stock. I really wanted to check out the cab. I found that there is also an assembly/distribution center outside a small town about an hour's drive south and east. I called them and inquired about the 3037, and was told that it had been discontinued, to be replaced with the XR3135HC. They'd had four of the 37s, but the last one just shipped out a few days earlier. So, I took a drive out there this past Saturday morning to see the 3135. I was not disappointed. That place had more tractors than I've ever seen in one place. There must have been hundreds of them, some assembled, some still needing wheels, and some still in crates stacked two-high and several deep. It was a sea of blue paint. The gentleman I'd talked to on the phone was the son of the gentleman who greeted me. We discussed my needs, and he showed me a nearby 3135. I walked around it, sat in it, and took it for a spin around their lot. Again, I was not disappointed. Talk about sharp, easy turns! Drove like butter.
He threw an initial price at me, I took some pics, and headed back home. I showed the literature and pictures to my wife. She liked it, and gave me the go-ahead to start negotiating (she's the house accountant, after all). I'm planning to see what they can do with the tractor, loader, rear blade, and a 5' cutter package deal. Then, see what the local dealer can do for the same. I'd honestly like to go through the local guy, as he would be much more convenient (20 minute drive vs an hour) for any service or warranty work. He also seems very friendly (as did the distributor guys). We'll see how it goes.